Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has blasted Queensland MP Stuart Robert for failing to show up to parliament while still pocketing a fat taxpayer-funded salary.
The member for Fadden, a safe LNP electorate, has said he intends to formally resign in the next few weeks.
But already the Gold Coast politician – who is the shadow assistant treasurer and shadow minister for financial services on Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s frontbench – has skipped Canberra, failing to attend budget sittings last week.
As an opposition frontbencher, Mr Robert collects an annual salary of $217,060.
Mr Albanese was scathing of Mr Robert and also took aim at Mr Dutton, who said it wasn’t “unusual at all” for a retiring parliamentarian to skip the long trip to Canberra.
Mr Dutton noted that former Labor leaders Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd had done it.
“That is not business as usual … this is completely unacceptable,” Mr Albanese said.
“He said that he’s resigning but he hasn’t resigned, so no date can be set for the by-election, but he’s not turning up to parliament. That is not business as usual.
“[Former PM Scott Morrison] has foreshadowed leaving at some stage, but he turns up to parliament most of the time.”
Mr Albanese said voters in Fadden “deserve better”.
Fadden is considered a safe seat for the LNP. It was retained by Mr Robert with a margin of 10.6 per cent at last year’s election.
Mr Albanese said Labor was yet to decide if it would contest Fadden, saying its expectations of winning the very safe Liberal seat were “realistic”.
In April, Labor won the previously safe Melbourne seat of Aston from the Coalition. It was the first time in more than a century a government had won an opposition seat in a by-election.
“That was a one-in-100-year event … and in those circumstances, it surprised most people,” Mr Albanese said.
“Fadden is, of course, a very safe Liberal Party seat. So the idea is that our expectations would be realistic there.”
Mr Robert was elected to parliament in 2007 and has served on the Coalition government frontbench since 2013. His portfolios have included veterans affairs, the National Disability Insurance Scheme and government services.
A close ally of Mr Morrison, Mr Robert is no stranger to controversy during his time in parliament. By some measures, he was considered the “front man” for the robodebt scandal, and was once forced to quit cabinet over a murky trip to China.
Two candidates have nominated for LNP preselection when he does depart Faddon – Gold Coast Council planning chief Cameron Caldwell and former Queenslander of the Year Dr Dinesh Palipana.
-with AAP
